Improvement in sewing-machines



r Nm 146,280.

1.? K. REED. Sewing-Machines.

Patentedddny,

Ye. als? Z.)

'UNITED STATES ATENT- FFIcE.

TIMOTHY K. REED, OF EASTA BRIDGEWATER, ASSIGNOR ARZA B. KEITH,

. TRUSTEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,280, dated January 6,1874; application filed November 26, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, TIMOTHY K. REED, of i East Bridgewater, in the county of Plymouth andState of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Wire-LockStitch Sewing-Machine 5 and Ido hereby declare that the following,

taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

United States Letters Patent Nofe; dated February 2, 1869, have been granted to me for an improvement in the process of and mechanism for forming stitched seams,77 and my present invention relates to certain details of construction and organization of the mech- Figures l and 2 show the machine in front elevation. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of it. Fig. 4 is a front view. Fig. 5 is a side view of the wire-boxand adjacent mechanism. Fig. 6 is a plan of the wire-carrier. Fig. 7 is a plan of the a denotes the frame, b, the goose-neck; c, a stationary post, in avertcal slot in which slides a bar, d, having extending from its top a plate, 6, that constitutes the work-support under the downward thrust of the awl f, the awl-bar g sliding in the head h, and being reciprocated vertically by the bell-crank lever t and cam lc, or by any other suitable means. `The worksupport plate e rises and falls, and when in its highest position the work is clamped between it and the bottom of a stationary toepicce, m, fixed to a block, in, to which block is also affixed the stationary wire cutter or punch o. The .toe-piece m has a horizontal lip, p, down to which the vertical cutting-edge of the punch extends, the` wire feeding over this lip into position to be severed, and the severing being effected by the movable cutter plate or die q, 1acting in conjunction with the stationary cutter or punch o, and against the wire presented between them, the edge of the stationary cut q is grooved, and presses the wire squarely against the punch, which punch, in cutting, enters the groove in the movable cutter or die q, a piece of the wire bein g cut out, as described in my aforesaid patent. The shank of the cut `end an arm, fw, connected, by a link, x, to an arm, y, pivoted at z, and having a pin, a2, ex tending into a cam-groove, b2, of a eam-wheel, c2, on the driving-shaft cl2, as seen at A. Just back of the cutters is the wire-box or wire feeding, guiding, and presenting mechanism,

consisting of a box, e2, which,`with its appen dages, is fixed to the foot of a rod, f2, which rod slides in the -head lz., and is held `down by a spring, g2. The box has an upward `movement to bring it into position to introduce the wire into the loop 5 a downward movement to carry the wire down to the stock, and a lateral movement to follow the movement of the cut ter-die q, as will be hereafter explained, `and its upward movement is imparted bythe awlbar, the top of which, in the latter part of the rise of the bar, strikes an arm, h2, extending from the box-rod f2, or, preferably, a set-screw, i2, extending from said arm. As the awl-bar descends the spring g2 forces down the rod f2 and brings the box to position for the action of the cutters upon the wire. `For the lateral movement of the box,`it is pivoted to the rod by a pivot-pin, k2, andthe cutterdie strikes a shoulder, Z2, of the box to move it forward with the cutter, a suitable spring throwing it back as the cutter recedes. The wire enters the loop at the side of the needle, and as the needleeyes of different `needles do not always reach the same point, (as the needle rises,) the Wire-box is made with provision for adjustment as to its extent of rise, thisprovision being the set-screw t2, by adjusting which -the y awLbar may be made to lift the wire-box sooner or later, as V-may be required bythe position of the needle-eye at its highest point.

The appendages of the wire-box are as follows: The box has a groove or roadway, m2, of width just sufficient to permit the wire to pass freely through, the bottom of said way being a plate or spring, n2, which extends to the extreme front of the box. Through this groove and over this spring passes the wire o2, the wire passing through a suitable passage in and under the goose-neck arm to the roadway m2. As the wire approaches to the front of the plate, it passes under a feed-wheel, p2, by the action of which regular, intermittent, and uniform forward movements are imparted to it. The rotative movement of the wheel is eected by a pawl, q2, acting, for this purpose, in conjunction with the upward movement of the box, the pawl being pivoted on a station( ry pivot, r2, and acting negatively, a spring, s2, pressing the pawl-pin into position to stand over one of the notches u2 of the feed-wheel, and said notch straddling the pin and, by its contact therewith, causing the wheel to turn as it continues to move upward, the bottom teeth o2 of the wheel entering the bows of the wire, and by their rotative movement pushing the wire forward, a spring detainer-pawl, 102, entering one of the notches of the wheel, as the wheel completes its rise, and thus insuring the exact extent of feed of the wire, and the consequent presentation of the point of severance in the line of the cutter punch and die. As -the rise of the box is made variable in accordance with the varying position of the eyes of different needles at the time the wire is to enter the loop, the action of the detainer-pawl must be correspondingly varied to cause it to properly determine the extent of feed of the wire. For this purpose the pawl @02 is pivoted to a bar, m2, that, by means of a slot, y2, and screw z2, is made adjustable in position. The feed-pawl q2 is made with similar provision for adjustment by beingjointed to a plate, a3, made adjustable by slots b3 and screws c3. IV hen the end ofthe wire to'be cut off is projected beyond the wire-box, the projection stands over a flaring slot, c3, of a wire-carrier,f3, which carrier is fastened to the cutter-lever fr, and as the wire, after entering the loop at the side of the needle, descends, it falls to the bottom of this slot, the slot narrowing so that at bottom it is simply wide enough to receive thewire and enable it to pass freely through the slot. The projected end of the wire being held between and by the opposite walls of the slot, the carrier moves forward with the cutter-die, supports the wire under the cutting operation, and prevents any bending of the wire. The carrier has another slot, g3, through which the `needle and awl play, and outside of the carrier is a toe-piece, h3, extending from a shank, i3, said outer toe-piece supporting the work against the pressure of the work-support e on one side of the seam, while the innertoepiece m supports the work against the pressure of the work-support on the opposite side of the seam. To enable the cutters and adjacent mechanism to be readily inspected, adjusted, and removed, the toe-piece bar t3 and carrierbar f3 are hung to the head h and lever r, respectively, so that they may be swung up and out of position, as seen in Fig. l by dotted lines, the carrier-bar swinging on the pin 7c3, by which it is confined to the cutter-lever i' when said pin is loosened, and having a slot, Z3, into which a pin, m3, enters, the carrier being brought to position by swinging it down until the' back of the slot meets the pin, in connection with the movement through the slot of the bar of a spotter or sinker, a3, which is attached to and reciprocates with the awl-bar. In like manner, the toe-piece bar is brought to position by swinging it down upon its pin d3, and then bringing a gagepiece, o3, extending from it, against a shoulder, p3, of the carrier. After the wire is cut, and as the needle is drawing down the loop, the spotter n3 descends upon the wire, sinking it into the surface of the stock, such sink being made greater or less by adjustment ofthe spotter.

In forming the stitch with the thread and wire, it is desirable that the machine should be so organized as to feed from thick to thin stock, and vice versa, and that in all changes in thickness of the stock, however abrupt, the 1 amount of thread taken from the spool shall change in accordance with such change in thickness, so that for all the stitching the thread shall be uniformly drawn into the stock to uniformly secure the wires and bind the stitch. To accomplish this it is necessary that the needle, in drawing down the thread, shall move to a uniform distance from the bottom face of the stock, which face rests or is clamped against the topv of the movable work-support plate e, it being, however, also necessary that the needle shall always move upward to the same point. I therefore so arrange the mechanismthat the needle has an invariable upward movement 'and a variable downward movement, but always in a uniform distance from the face of the rest, and so that its downward movement is always contingent upon the position of the work-support plate e-or, in other words, upon the plane of the bottom surface of the stock-the toe-pieces being stationary and the work-plate e following the changes inthickness of the stock, the stock being, at all times, clamped between the toe-pieces and the work-plate e under the upward pressure of the plate, except when the plate is moved down for the work to be fed. The work-plate is strictly a presser-plate, it being a projection from the top of the slide-bar d, and such bar being jointed to a lever, g3, subjected to the stress of a strong spring, r3, to press the bar upward. To enter the work, the work-plate is thrown down by depressing the lever-arm s3. rlhe needle-bar extends through and is fixed to a slide, t3, that slides vertically in a slot, u, cut through a swiveling plate, c3, in bearings in which the needle-bar is guided in its vertical movements. 0n the front of the slide t3 is a horizontal plate, w3, in which is cut a slot, x3. In this slot runs a slide, ys, into which a pin, z3, extends from an arm, a4, the pin passing through a slot, b4, in an arm, c4, extending from one end of a horizontal rockershaft, d4, at the opposite end of which is another arm, e4, having a pin, f4, extending from it into a cam-slot, g4, of a cam-wheel, h4, on the driving sh aft d2. The movement of the rocker-shaft by the cam imparts reciprocating vertical movement to slide g3 and the needle-bar connected therewith. The arm ai* is a lever, having gear-teeth i4, which teeth engage with a seg ment-gear, 104, on the top of a rocker-arm, Z4, extending from a sleeve, m4, which is mounted on a stationary pin, n4, and has extending from its inner end an arm, o, into a slot, p4, of which a pin, g4, extends from the work-plate lever g3. By this connection, the position of the slide y is varied, as the thickness of the stock clamped between the work-plate and the toe-pieces varies, and such variation changes the amount of downward throw ofthe needle-- bar, because such throw depends upon the po i sition of the pin z3, by which the rocker-arm Z4 communicates movement to the needle-bar.

When the needle-bar is in its uppermost position, the rocker-arm slot b4 will be always brought to horizontal position, so that the continued movement of the pin z3 in the slot b4 as the work-plate moves down imparts no move ment to the needle-bar.

The gear-rack 134 is held in engagement with the segment-gear 7a4 by a suitable spring, 14,- and by the gear and segment connection a positive forward and back movement is imparted to the pin z3 as the throat-plate moves up or down.

The feed of the work is imparted by the needie; and to move the needle laterally, the needle-bar bearing-plate is mounted on a stationary pin, s4, extending through its foot #,'the upper part of the platel having ears a4 through curved guide-slots v4, in which guide-pins 104 extend. Back of the plate the frame-recess j4 'contains a cam, x, ou the driving-shaft d2,

which cam, in its rotation, acts alternately against two rolls or trucks, yl, turning on pins z, extending from the plate c3, and thereby imparts positive forward feed movement and back movement to the plate, needle-bar, and needle. The work-plate bar dhas extending from its rear face a pin, a5, upon which is a roll, b5, and against this roll a cam, c5, on the driving-shaft acts at each rotation of the shaft;

and while the needle is in the work the cam strikes the wheel, and thereby depresses the work-plate to unclamp the work, so that it may be readily fed by the needle.

I claim- 1. The stationary toe -pieee m, stationary punch o, and movable cutter-die q, in combination with the vertically-moving work-plate, substantially as described.

2. The vertically-moving wire-box 62, in combination with the stationary and movable cutting mechanism, substantially as described.

3. The toe-piece lip 1J, in combination with the cutters and wire-box, substantially as described.

4. The wire-carrierf, with its slot c", for reeeivin g, supporting, and guiding the wire, substantially as described.

5. The outer and movable toe-piece h3, in combination with the stationary toe-piece m, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the movable wire-` box, of the feedpawl q2, operating to turn the wire-feed wheel p2 as the wire-box movesupward, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the movable wirebox, of the impelling-pawl g2 and detainerpawl w?, acting in combination to produce the proper movement and arrest of the feed-wheel, substantially as described. i

8. The arm h2 (extending fromvthe feed-box bar) and its set-screw 2, (operated upon by the awl-bar g to raise the feedbox,) and the spring g2, in combination, and for throwing down said feed-box, substantially as described.

9. The impelling-pawl q2 and detainer-pawl @02, pivoted, respectively, to plates aaxz, made adjustable, as and for the purposedescribed. 10. The vertically yielding and releasn g work-plate e, substantially as described, in combination with Vthe stationary toe-piece m and the cutting mechanism.`

1l. In combination with the vertically-moving work-plate e and the wiremechanism, a needle-bar operated, substantially as described, so that it has an invariable upward movement and a variable downward movement, contingent upon the position of the work-plateat the time of such downward movement. l2. The needle-bar slide t3 andy its grooved front plate w3, theslide g3, lever a, and slotted arm c4, combined for actuating the needle-bar, substantially as described. y

13. The pin z3, (the position Aof which determines the downward movement of the nee` dle-bar,) when connected and combined with the work-plate lever g3, the sleeve m, its slotted arm o, and gear-segment arm Z4, and the lever a4 with its gear-rack, substantially as described. Executed this 22d day of November, A.. D.

T. K. REED. Vitnesses: y

M. W. Fnornnvennn, y FRANCIS GOULD. 

